Mary Daly - Promoting Sexism In The Classroom

An article from the June 7th, 1999 issue of U.S. News & World Report that we found worth reproducing and commenting on.

Radical feminist theologian and author Mary Daly has barred men from her classes at Boston College for 25 years, saying that "the dynamic is totally interrupted" with males in the classroom. Now, her job at the Catholic institution is in question. When senior Duane Naquin complained of discrimination, she was ordered to let him into her feminist ethics class. In response, Daly, 70, says she asked for a paid leave of absence; the college maintains that she retired. Last week, a judge ruled that catalogs may be issued that omit her classes. Daly, who offers to teach men privately, will continue her effort to resist a forced retirement.

Let's take a closer look at this, shall we?

First of all, we have a hard time imagining a male professor getting away with barring female students from his class for 25 years. We can't see it happening- not for 25 days, let alone 25 years. We can, however, imagine the screams of feminist outrage that would occur if any male professor even tried to think about doing this- he'd quickly be crucified on the altar of Feminism as a classic example of a "chauvinist pig".

Next we come to Ms. Daly's claim that "the dynamic is totally interrupted" with males in the classroom. This is a fascinating statement indeed. Is Ms. Daly suggesting that women are unable to learn when in the presence of men, or is she asserting that men are so disruptive that they make teaching impossible? Frankly, it's difficult to believe either of those statements.Again, can anyone imagine a male professor saying that "the dynamic is totally interrupted" with females in the classroom? If he did make this kind of statement, how long do you suppose it would be before he was brought up on charges and disciplined?

Eventually, after 25 years, a male student complained about Ms. Daly's sexist behavior. Ms. Daly was then ordered by Boston College to allow him in her class. Her response was to stop teaching the class! Apparently Ms. Daly finds men so threatening that she's willing to abandon her students rather than have a man in her class.This is the response one would expect from a spoiled 5 year old, not from a 70-year old college professor. Of course, Ms. Daly is a "radical feminist", so perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised at her little hissy-fit. Like many feminists, if she doesn't get what she wants, she just quits.

Boston College states that Ms. Daly retired, while Ms. Daly says that she only asked for a "paid leave of absence". Just why Ms. Daly thinks she's entitled to a "paid leave of absence" a mystery; is such a thing typical of academic employers? Is Ms. Daly to be rewarded for promoting 25 years of sexism?

(Some sources have said that Ms. Daly actually "resigned in protest" expecting that Boston College would come crawling to her, begging her to come back. When this didn't happen, it finally dawned on Ms. Daly that she had quit her cushy job and might have to actually WORK for a living. Ms. Daly then apparently changed her story, claiming that she only wanted a "paid leave of absence".)

Finally, what are we to make of the statement that Ms. Daly "offers to teach men privately"? What would we think of a male professor who barred women from his classes, but "offered to teach women privately"? Hmmmmmm.(UPDATE: Recently there has been some disagreement as to the truthfulness of Ms. Daly's claim that she has or will teach men privately. She "offers" to teach men privately, but as yet there apparently has not been a single corroborated instance of this actually happening. We'll say it again: Hmmmmmm. -Ed.)

So, does Mary Daly promote sexism in her classroom? We think so. Her blatant gender-based discrimination would bring howls of protest if a man were to attempt it, but remember- she's a gender-feminist, and they play by a different set of rules. Mary Daly's behavior is a perfect example of the "Do as I say, not as I do" philosophy that is typical of gender-feminists.

We also think that Boston College is better off without Ms. Daly. Any educational institution that supports the kind of misguided and sexist notions of people like Ms. Daly is doing both itself and its students a grave disservice.

If Ms. Daly wants to continue to ride the Feminist warpath in search of sexism and gender discrimination, perhaps she should start by "saddling up" in front of a mirror.